The Department of Chemistry was established in 1958, the same year as the founding of the Faculty of Science. Initially, Chemistry Department offered courses for medical students from Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai, and Mahidol universities. With the great vision of Prof. Dr. Stang Monkolsuk, the first Dean of the Faculty of Science, he invited outstanding medical students to join the Mahidol Chemistry program. Some of these students later become faculty members of the Department of Chemistry.

The first graduate program in the Chemistry Department is Organic Chemistry whose projects focus on synthesis of natural products and exploring novel synthetic methods. With the success of our Organic Chemistry program and increasing demand from industries for specialized chemists, other graduate programs were established including Chemical Physics, Physical Chemistry, Polymer Science and Technology, Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry.

Constant national and international fundings have enabled the Chemistry Department to acquire top-of-the-line instruments, such as, 300 MHz and 500 MHz NMR spectrometers, X-ray diffractometers, Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectrometer, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), and much more. Polymer processing and mechanical testing equipments are also available in the Department to fulfill research work for plastic and rubber industries. More importantly, our faculties are highly dedicated and intellectual, as evidenced by many distinctions awarded.

With interests of students in mind, we continually improve our curriculum both in the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to an opportunity to work in research group at Mahidol University, our department also encourages students to get industrial internships and offers many industry field trips. Stimulating learning atmospheres and active research on- and off-campus have allowed production of a large number of publications and well-trained graduates (B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D.) to hold top tier positions both in industrial and academic fields.